Pressure cookers
can be used to make stews in a very short time.
A pressure cooker is a pot with a tight-fitting lid that can be locked to form an airtight seal. As the liquid inside the pot boils, it produces steam. The trapped steam produces pressure, which raises the temperature inside the pot, forcing the water to boil at a higher temperature. This allows food inside the pot to cook at higher temperatures than in an oven or on the stove. A pressure cooker can have several advantages over other cooking methods.
Pressure Cooker Basics
Pressure cookers are usually made from aluminum or stainless steel and may be coated with a nonstick material. Cookers generally come in 4, 6 or 8 qt. sizes. Pressure cookers need to be large so that there is room for the steam to expand inside the cooker. While all pressure cookers have pressure regulator valves to vent excess steam, some cookers are built to maintain a constant pressure while others allow you to adjust the pressure in the cooker.
How it Works
A pressure cooker works by using steam to build pressure within the pot. As air pressure rises, water boils at higher temperatures. Under 15 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi), water will boil at 257 degrees instead of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that foods inside the cooker can reach temperatures of 257 degrees Fahrenheit without burning or drying out. Foods cook more quickly, but do not lose any moisture or nutrients to the air, so they retain all of their moisture and nutritive value.
Benefits
Because foods made in a pressure cooker are cooked in a moist environment, you do not need to use much oil or other fats to prepare them. The steam locks in flavor, so you can also use less salt, and vegetables retain their color when cooked this way. These benefits make a pressure cooker especially useful for preparing foods for those on a low-salt, low-fat diet. Pressure cookers also allow you to cook foods faster, meaning that they use less energy than conventional cooking methods and save you time in the kitchen. Stews can be cooked in 15 minutes while a medium-rare pot roast may take as little as 30 minutes.
Drawbacks
Because food cooks very quickly in a pressure cooker, it can be easy to overcook your dish. Additionally, flavors may not be as deep as when foods are cooked more slowly, and you may need to brown meat, onions and other foods before putting them in the cooker in order to enhance the flavor. You will also need to adjust any favorite recipes to work in a pressure cooker, such as using smaller amounts of flavorings and adding ingredients at different times; this may take some trial and error to get right. You also need to be very careful when opening a pressure cooker after cooking with it as any steam remaining in the cooker can scald you.
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